THE FITNESS CURRENCY

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Want to lose weight.This is a mission statement for an increasing number of people. However, the journey from statement to reality is really hard.By the time popular author and successful professional, Utkarsh Rai, decided to fight the bulge and other health issues, he was in his mid-forties and at a critical stage in his career. Even though weight management and good health had become an obsession for him, the rigours of professional and everyday life turned these into arduous and torturous ‘tasks’. That is when he discovered ‘The Fitness Currency’ and how it can make people ‘rich’. However, this is the only currency that can’t be earned by anyone else for you.In the Fitness Currency, Utkarsh Rai asserts that everyone can earn this currency regardless of their age or stage of life. Fitness is the new currency for not just a long and successful career, but also a happier life and Utkarsh uses his own example to demonstrate it. Staying fit is no longer an option but a means of survival. Running the treadmill becomes doubly important when you are in a frenetic race to the top in your career. This book covers the full gamut of fitness, from mental firmness and balanced diet to ways of exercising. Step-by-step processes reveal ways of overcoming obstacles on the path to fitness. Adding weight to this book are pieces by six leading fitness experts. The Fitness Currency will make you want to earn this currency.

From the Publisher

Conversation with Utkarsh Rai

We always ensure that our gadgets and vehicles are up to date and in fine working condition. Any small disruption and our lives go for a toss. However, when it comes to taking care of our body, we become lethargic. Why is this so? This is because when our vehicles or gadgets go kaput, they cause immediate disruptions in our routine, but our health does not deteriorate suddenly. We adjust to this gradual deterioration without realizing the danger mark. In addition, in this era of fast-paced technology promising to deliver everything at our doorsteps makes us lazy. Everything is just a click away and it hardly requires any physical activity. A new set of diseases, which used to occur rarely has now become more prevalent and is affecting a larger percentage of the population.

These are lifestyle diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, which are no longer restricted to any specific age group or rich nations. According to the report ‘11 Lifestyle Diseases You Should Take Seriously’ published in indiatimes.com in September 2012, ‘Globally 14.2 million people between the ages of 30–69 years die prematurely each year from these diseases. These diseases have emerged as bigger killers than infectious or hereditary ones. Risk factors for these diseases include tobacco use, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.’ It further details some of the diseases:

Obesity: Unhealthy eating habits and reduced physical exercise—all translate to obesity. A person with excessive weight suffers with breathing problems, blood pressure issues, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc. The recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS) suggests that India currently ranks second with 155 million obese citizens and are increasing at 33–51 per cent every year.

Type II Diabetes: Obesity becomes the cause for other health problems such as Type II Diabetes which is the non-insulin dependent form, and generally develops in adults. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) suggests that India has the largest number of people who suffer with Type II diabetes at around 40.9 million people.

Blood Pressure (BP): In India alone, more than 100 million people have high blood pressure.

Arteriosclerosis: Fatty plaques deposit in the arterial walls and cause blood circulation disorders, chest pains and heart attacks. It is linked with diabetes, obesity and a high BP. Around 30–40 per cent of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases happen in India in the age group of 34–64 years.

Heart Disease: India ranks No. 1 in patients with cardiac problems. Around 50 million people in India suffer from heart problems. The major factors involved in its development are smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol intake.

There are two types of health issues—Godsend (which we cannot control) and man-made (which we can control). We don’t pay much attention to the initial symptoms, and only act when it aggravates and a medical intervention is required. We believe more in the cure than in prevention. Some even shrug it off by saying, ‘Oh! It is so common! What’s the harm in taking a pill or two?’

Whenever fitness comes to our mind, we immediately discard it as if we are not cut for it. We all have a desire to be fit, flexible and healthy, but it remains limited to those on a mission to fitness. We have such a mental block that we only cite examples of those half-hearted, impatient people who did not get any result from their fitness regimes. We quickly convince ourselves to not take the trouble when a quick result is not guaranteed.

Fitness is not about six-pack abs, but it is about keeping a good health, maintaining flexibility to bend and stretch without trouble, having strength to face the mounting workloads without experiencing fatigue or stress and maintaining the right balance between body fat and muscle.

Is Achieving Fitness Really a Difficult Task?

Achieving fitness is neither difficult nor instant. It is a gradual process of transformation.

Take my word; anyone can achieve fitness irrespective of age, sex, genetic composition or lifestyle. The level of fitness may vary from person to person, but everyone can improve their well-being from their current form. What Is the Quick Mantra To Achieve Fitness?

There are only two mantras: 1. Some level of regular physical activity 2. Food intake according to the body’s requirement Let us look into some of the common myths and realities related to fitness:

Myth: I am obese since childhood or I have a family history of obesity. Therefore, I will not be able to reduce my weight. Reality: This is just a mental block. Even I had one during my teens. I had begun to put on weight and assumed that my body composition had always been the same, and that I will always have a paunch. Being fit includes weight reduction, increasing endurance and muscle building. Therefore, you can burn fat irrespective of your background. Myth: How can I achieve fitness when I am not inclined to take up any physical activity?

Reality: You can still achieve fitness by doing home chores or by some daily physical activities like walking, etc. Undertaking some kind of physical exercise is always better than doing nothing. Sections 5 and 6 of this book provide advice on various exercises, which can be done easily at home even if you have as less as 15 minutes to spare.

Myth: I am a woman and I cannot go to a gym. Reality: This is not true. Not only can women join the gym, they can also lift weights. Women can achieve fitness just like men do. They can do similar exercises, though the repetitions and counts of such exercises may vary as per their requirements. This myth is debunked beautifully in Section 5, which deals with some of the tips especially meant for women. Myth: My job requires me to travel a lot, so I am unable to follow any fitness regimen. Reality: You have to maintain some physical activity—either by going to a gym at the hotel or by brisk walking—whenever time permits between travels. Keeping a tab on what and when you eat is equally important, and it is better to eat moderately than to binge just because it is for free. Section

1 in this book deals with this topic.

Myth: I am differently abled, and achieving fitness will be a herculean task.

Reality: A woman in my gym is differently abled, but she is very regular and does certain exercises suitable to her ability. She is fitter compared to many others who just come to the gym, look around, try for a few weeks and then quit without any result.

Myth: Gym is boring, so I stopped going there.

Reality: Chapter 9 talks about this and other causes of dropping out from gym. It also suggests ways to avoid quitting like choosing gym partners to encourage you to visit the gym and accompanying you while workouts, to changing the music to avoid being repetitive.

Myth: I have to work long hours at office, there is no time for fitness.Reality: Long office hours are a common excuse. Office premise itself provides enough opportunity and time to do some physical activities like exercises that can be performed at your workstation itself. Certainly, you can utilize a part of the lunch hour too. One of the expert sections deals exclusively with this topic and provides many takeaways on maintaining fitness at work.

Myth: I had taken up certain physical activities, but then got injured and I did not continue. Reality: Exercise related injuries bothered me too and I am always very careful about them. People do face such injuries but the good news is that most of them are recoverable. Chapter 8 describes prevention from such injuries and ways to deal with them. Myth: My profession is not the one where I need to be fit, so why worry about fitness when it has no impact on my career?

Reality: Fitness is the new currency of career. Irrespective of whether you are in a profession like hospitality or fashion, fitness does go a long way in your professional life. The first chapter of this book illustrates why fitness is important for your career irrespective of the type of profession you are in. Myth: I know my fitness level is declining, but I don’t have any ailments, so why worry? Reality: I had the same mindset. As I aged, this mindset made things worse for me. Before it could go out of control, I undertook fitness seriously. So, don’t be complacent with the current situation as prevention is always better than cure. Myth: I tried some workouts in the past, but it has not yielded any result, so what is the that it will help me in future? Reality: I also tried many things in the past, but never achieved satisfactory results. Now reflecting on them, actually, I never did them the right way. Doing things the right way will definitely bring positive results. Mother of all Myths: I love food and I cannot give up anything. Reality: Each one of us loves food. Chapter 4 and one of the expert sections talk about eating right. Isn’t it that we have to be fit to enjoy the food? Eat according to what your body needs, which in turn is based on your level of physical activity. I did not give up on any particular food, but started taking it in the right quantity. In my childhood, I spent my evenings playing games with my friends. I was so lean and thin that my mother would always worry about my weight. I vividly remember that when I went back to school after the 10th grade summer vacation, my batch mates made fun of me for putting on weight. I now recollect that it was due to the board exams drawing near, which made me sedentary. To make things worse, my parents constantly pushed me to eat more. The next time I put on weight was when I joined engineering college. In the initial days when one of the seniors picked me up from the hostel along with a few other freshers for a ‘friendly chat’, he commented that it was not good to have a paunch at that age. As sessions picked up, I began to lose weight because I had to walk from one building to another to attend classes. Once I started working, weight began to show again. In the initial years, where walking to the bus stop to catch a bus to work did provide some exercise, as the years passed by and I graduated from bus to a more convenient mode of transportation, combined with long hours at office, my paunch started to swell again.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rupa Publications India (20 August 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 246 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9789353040758
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9353040758
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 188 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20.32 x 12.7 x 1.27 cm
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ India
Net Quantity ‏ : ‎ 1.00 count

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